Yoshi's Story

This article is about the Nintendo 64 game. For other uses, see Yoshi's Story (disambiguation).

Yoshi's Story
For alternate box art, see the related gallery.
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
Platforms	Nintendo 64, iQue Player, Virtual Console (Wii, Wii U), Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics
Release dates	Nintendo 64: December 21, 1997 March 9, 1998 May 10, 1998[?] May 11, 1998[?] iQue Player: March 25, 2004 Virtual Console (Wii): September 17, 2007 October 25, 2007 October 26, 2007 October 30, 2007 Virtual Console (Wii U): February 17, 2016 March 24, 2016 April 14, 2016 April 14, 2016 Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Classics: October 25, 2021 October 26, 2021 October 26, 2021 October 26, 2021 October 26, 2021 October 26, 2021
Languages	English Japanese Chinese (Simplified) French (Europe) German
Genre	Platformer
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone CERO: - All ages[?] PEGI: - Three years and older ELSPA: - Three years and older[?] USK: - All ages[?] ACB: - General[?]
Mode	Single player
Format	Nintendo 64: Game Pak iQue Player: Digital download Wii: Digital download Wii U: Digital download Nintendo Switch: Digital download
Input	Nintendo 64: Nintendo 64 Controller iQue Player: iQue Player Wii: Classic Controller Nintendo GameCube Controller Wii U: Wii U GamePad Classic Controller Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Nintendo 64 Controller (NSO)
Serial codes	NUS-NYSJ-JPN 11021

“The page turned, and the Yoshis grew happier.”

—End-of-level recaps in Story Mode

Yoshi's Story is a 2D sprite-based platform game in the Yoshi franchise, and the first one outside the Yoshi series, released for the Nintendo 64. It was released on December 21, 1997 in Japan and March 9, 1998 in the United States. Later, it received a port to the Wii's Virtual Console in the fall of 2007 for all regions and the Wii U's Virtual Console in early 2016, and it is one of the launch titles for Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics. The music of Yoshi's Story was composed by Kazumi Totaka, who voices Yoshi in this game, a first for the Super Mario franchise. The gameplay possesses similar mechanics to the Yoshi's Island series of games, but it does not include Baby Mario.

A tech demo called Yoshi Demo was unveiled at the time of the Game Boy Advance's first announcement. The title was seemingly either a port or a direct sequel to Yoshi's Story, but it is unknown if it was simply meant as a demo or was canceled. Years later, a title called Yoshi Topsy-Turvy was released, and it featured the same art style and mechanics as Yoshi's Story and was perceived as a sequel. Yoshi's Story was also the first Super Mario/Yoshi game on the Nintendo 64 released in North America to be rated E for "Everyone" due to the changeover by the ESRB from the previously used K–A for "Kids to Adults" rating in 1998.

Story

If the player waits for about nine seconds on the title screen, the book onscreen opens and tells this story:

Out of the blue, the island fell, darkened by an evil spell.
The blink of an eye was all it took and the island became a storybook.
The Super Happy Tree vanished, too, and once-happy Yoshis began to stew.
Only Baby Bowser could be so mean, to ruin the happy Yoshis' dream.
The Island^[sic] had paid an awful cost, for the Super Happy Tree was lost.
Elsewhere on the pop-up isle, some Yoshi eggs survived the trial.
The spotted eggs in that Yoshi nest would soon face Baby Bowser's test.
One by one, they began to hatch. Six little Yoshis--a perfect batch!
They scratched their heads and looked around. Some even tried to pound the ground.
Sadness darkened every Yoshi's face. It should've been a Super Happy place.
They quickly saw the problem at hand required a cunning Yoshi plan.
"If we grow Super Happy," the Yoshis thought, "we'll spoil Bowser's evil plot."
Their mission then was crystal clear. They had to go and spread the cheer!
So it was, they all agreed, to rescue the Super Happy Tree.
They set out to follow the trail of fruit to find where the tree had taken root.
One Yoshi wondered, as he bounced, if Baby Bowser could be trounced.
"We'll stay together," the others cried^[sic] "and stomp his Baby Bowser hide."
By eating fruit and having fun, the deed would surely soon be done.
And so the Yoshis' quest began, to find the tree and save the land.
Just turn the page and you will see how happiness grows in a tree.

The Yoshis on top of the storybook

Yoshis live in harmony on Yoshi's Island, and their ultimate source of happiness is provided by the Super Happy Tree. Baby Bowser becomes jealous of their happiness and steals the Super Happy Tree, crushing their happiness, and then performs a spell to turn the entire island into a pop-up picture book.

Six Baby Yoshis hatch on the island and learn of what Baby Bowser has done, and thus, they set out to retrieve the tree. They venture through six "pages" of the island, until eventually fighting him at the end and retrieving the Super Happy Tree.

Gameplay

A gameplay screenshot from Rail Lift, one of the levels from Yoshi's Story

Yoshi's Story is played much like Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, although a few aspects were tweaked or removed, such as the timer that counted down for Baby Mario when a Yoshi was hit and a Yoshi's ability to morph. To complete a level, the Baby Yoshis have to eat exactly 30 fruits scattered throughout the level. Before starting a level, the player has to select a Baby Yoshi. Each Yoshi has different taste when it comes to fruits and Shy Guys, and it recovers more health (and scores more points) if it eats a fruit or a Shy Guy that is of its own color. The top left corner of the screen has a flower that serves as the life bar called the Smile Meter; the flower's petals fall off as a Yoshi loses health, and its facial expression also changes accordingly (happy when full, sad when dying). Certain characters aid the Yoshis in various ways, including Miss Warps, who can teleport the Yoshis to different parts of the level, and Poochy, who can find hidden objects from far away.

If a Baby Yoshi is defeated within the level, that Baby Yoshi is taken to the castle of Baby Bowser by Baby Bowser's Toadies. If all of the Baby Yoshis are kidnapped, the game is over. However, any lost Baby Yoshi (aside from the secret, unlockable Black and White Yoshis) can be saved by finding a White Shy Guy and finishing the level with it. When the player starts a game in either Story Mode or Trial Mode, the game randomly selects a Lucky Fruit. Said Lucky Fruit automatically heals all of a Yoshi's life, even if the Yoshi is not supposed to like the fruit.

Each world has four different levels to choose from; once a level is beaten, the player moves on to the next world without visiting the other three levels. This means to play through every single level, the player must play through the game at least four different times, going to the unvisited levels in each world. The game has four difficulty levels: Novice, Easy, Medium, and Hard.

Yoshis' moves

The Baby Yoshis can perform various moves to complete their adventure. Most of these moves were taken from Yoshi's Island, although some were tweaked or now have a new function.

Jumping and fluttering

The Pink Yoshi flutter-jumping

By pressing , the player can make a Yoshi jump; by pressing again and holding it, the player can make a Yoshi flutter-jump. This helps the player get to higher places. It is possible to flutter longer by holding after a Yoshi grunts. While fluttering, a Yoshi can do so even higher if the player presses Up on the Control Stick.

Swallowing

To swallow an object, the Baby Yoshis have to lick with their tongues. It is possible to control the direction of the tongue with the Control Stick. Unlike in Yoshi's Island, a Yoshi automatically ingests the things he eats with his tongue.

Throwing eggs

The Red Yoshi about to throw an egg

When a Yoshi eats an enemy, it can turn into an egg. A Yoshi can aim the egg he made at various things when the player presses and holds or , and he can throw it when the player releases the button. If the player wants to cancel throwing an egg, they should push . Eggs can also be thrown to collect coins and Special Hearts. Even if a thrown egg does not hit anything, it explodes where the cursor was placed, and any enemies or bubbles in the explosion can be defeated or popped, respectively. The explosion's size changes depending on how happy the Yoshi is, although an egg thrown by the Black Yoshi or White Yoshi has more of an explosive impact. Black-spotted eggs explode only when the Black Yoshi or White Yoshi throws them. A thrown egg might simply fall offscreen after hitting some targets, such as bosses, Bumper Balls, or weights. Thrown eggs can also ricochet off walls. Eggs cannot be thrown underwater, however.

Ground Pound

For a Baby Yoshi to utilize this move, the player must jump and quickly press Down on the Control Stick. The Yoshi pounds the ground. A Ground Pound can be used to reveal a few items hidden in the ground or to defeat enemies.

Sniffing

The Green Yoshi sniffing

Being a move exclusive to this game, sniffing is helpful in finding objects hidden in the ground. To execute it, the player must press . If a Baby Yoshi is near an object, a "!" will appear next to the Baby Yoshi's head. If the Baby Yoshi is standing on a hidden item, he will wave at the player. Any objects hidden in the ground can be revealed by ground-pounding them. If a hidden item is in midair or in a rock block, the Baby Yoshi might need to throw an egg at the hidden item's spot to reveal it. In a few levels, the player can find Poochy, who sniffs for the Yoshi clan.

Modes

Story Mode

The main cast of Yoshi's Story, featuring the eight Yoshis that appear in the game as well as Poochy

As the main portion of the game, Story Mode contains 24 levels (four per world), but only six can be played during a single playthrough (the game jumps directly to the next world after a level is completed). The player can choose which of the four levels on the first page they wish to start on. However, the choice of levels in later worlds is determined by the number of Special Hearts collected in the previous level. To finish each level, the Yoshis must eat 30 different fruits scattered throughout the level. Whenever a level is completed, the Baby Yoshis start singing and a text appears to explain what happened in the level.

Trial Mode

Trial Mode stage-selection screen with all stages unlocked

Trial Mode is a mode that allows the player to play any stage that they have beaten in Story Mode. In order to unlock all the stages, the player must play Story Mode at least four times and get all the Special Hearts from the stage that they were playing. This mode was created to save the player's highest score of the levels. To quit a stage, the and buttons should be pressed together. Also, the player cannot use the Black Yoshi or White Yoshi; both are playable only in Story Mode.

Eating nothing but melons is the most efficient method of increasing one's high score, although it can be difficult to perform in some stages. If this is done, a marker appears at the end of the level. In order to eat all the melons from the stage, the player needs to sniff all the time to find hidden objects in the ground.

Also, if the player waits for two minutes and ten seconds, "Totakeke's theme" is heard.

Practice

Main article: Practice

The Practice mode consists of an exclusive level in which the various controls and techniques of the game are explained. This level is the only one that does not have 30 melons in it.

Worlds and levels

Levels
Practice
Icon	#	Level	Type of level
N/A	N/A	Practice	Plains
P. 1-Beginning
Icon	#	Level	Type of level
	1-1	Treasure Hunt	Plains
	1-2	Surprise!!	Coast
	1-3	Rail Lift	Coast
	1-4	Tower Climb	Tower
P. 2-Cavern
Icon	#	Level	Type of level
	2-1	Bone Dragon Pit	Cave
	2-2	Blargg's Boiler	Lava Coast
	2-3	Jelly Pipe	Sewer Cave
	2-4	Torrential Maze	Sewer
P. 3-Summit
Icon	#	Level	Type of level
	3-1	Cloud Cruising	Coast
	3-2	The Tall Tower	Tower
	3-3	Poochy & Nippy	Snow
	3-4	Frustration	Snow Sewer
P. 4-Jungle
Icon	#	Level	Type of level
	4-1	Jungle Hut	Village
	4-2	Jungle Puddle	Swamp
	4-3	Piranha Grove	Brambles
	4-4	Neuron Jungle	Swamp
P. 5-Ocean
Icon	#	Level	Type of level
	5-1	Lots O'Jelly Fish	Coast Underwater
	5-2	Lots O'Fish	Coast Underwater
	5-3	Shy Guy Limbo	Plains
	5-4	Shy Guy's Ship	Coast
P. 6-Finale
Icon	#	Level	Type of level
	6-1	Mecha Castle	Castle
	6-2	Lift Castle	Castle Tower
	6-3	Ghost Castle	Castle Cave
	6-4	Magma Castle	Lava Castle Cave

Characters

Playable

All the following Yoshis are playable. Each of their names is listed next to their Favorite Fruit. When a Yoshi eats one of its favorite foods, the Smile Meter heals more than it usually does. Eating melons also has this effect, no matter which Yoshi color it is. The different colors also serve as lives. The Black Yoshi is unlocked after the player finds a hidden black-spotted Giant Egg in the Bone Dragon Pit or Torrential Maze, and the White Yoshi is unlocked after the player finds a hidden white Giant Egg in The Tall Tower or Poochy & Nippy.

Yoshis	Favorite Fruit
Green	Watermelon
Red	Apple
Pink
Yellow	Banana
Blue	Grape
Light Blue
White	All
Black

Supporting characters

Image	Name	Description
	Balloon Bully	A balloon-like entity that carries a log on its head, allowing the Yoshis to reach otherwise inaccessible locations.
	Dragon	A serpentine creature that acts as a lift for the Yoshis to use while in the air or over lava.
	Ghost Rider	A whisp-like spirit that acts as a platform for the Yoshis to use.
	Ghost Stream	A squishy ghost that acts as a platform Yoshis can climb on.
	Lakitu	Rewards Yoshis with melons depending on their performance in certain minigames.
	Miss Warp	An egg-shaped creature that is asleep, but soon warps Yoshis to another Miss Warp when awoken.
	Neuron	A slug-like creature that makes movements depending on its color.
	Poochy	A dog that can sniff items for the Yoshis. He follows a Yoshi.
	Power Bee	An insect that restores health to the Yoshis when eaten. These creatures cannot harm the Yoshis if touched.
	Snake	A serpentine creature that acts similarly to a dragon, except it is much smaller.
	White Shy Guy	A friendly Shy Guy that can rescue any captured Yoshi if a level is completed after one is found.

Enemies

Image	Name	Description	First appearance	Last appearance
	Air Bag	A balloon creature that appears from an immovable Mystery Crate. It attacks by blowing air at a Yoshi.	Surprise!!
	Attacky Sack	A circular marble-like creature that bounces around aimlessly, attempting to run into a Yoshi.	Magma Castle
	Bamboo dancers	Two Shy Guys that each hold a long stick across a pathway, requiring the Yoshi to jump over it.	Shy Guy Limbo
	Bee	A swarm of bees inhabits a hive and obstructs the Yoshi's path if the Yoshi moves too quickly near them. If the Yoshi hits the bees with an egg, they will attack the Yoshi.	Jungle Hut	Lots O'Fish
	Big & Little Boo	A line of Boos that follow each other, holding a melon within the line. They mimic the reverse of a Yoshi's movements.	Jelly Pipe
	Black Shy Guy	An aggressive version of Flying Shy Guy.	Poochy & Nippy	Ghost Castle
	Blargg	A giant blob-like creature that randomly arises from lava.	Blargg's Boiler
	Blindfold Boo	A blindfolded Boo that uses sound cues such as the gathering of coins to attack a Yoshi.	Ghost Castle
	Blue Blurp	A giant fish that spits water up at Yoshis. If a Yoshi falls into the river the Blurp resides in, the Yoshi will be eaten by it.	Jungle Puddle
	Bob-bomb	A sentient bomb that wanders around, eventually exploding. Any Yoshis caught in the blast take damage.	Shy Guy's Ship
	Bone Dragon	A head of the Bone Dragon that is separated from the main body.	Bone Dragon Pit
	Boo	A ghost enemy that stops moving when looked at and follows a Yoshi when facing away. It can be defeated only by looking away from it and bouncing an egg off a wall to hit it.	Ghost Castle
	Block Boo	A Boo that disguises as a block when looked at. It reveals its true form when looked away from.	Ghost Castle
	Bullet Bill	A bullet-like enemy that is emitted from a Turtle Cannon and travels in a straight line.	Tower Climb	Shy Guy's Ship
	Bumblebee	A big bee that flies ahead in a straight line, grouped from both sides of the screen.	Cloud Cruising
	Bumpty	A penguin-like foe that can bump a Yoshi around.	Frustration
	Centipede	An enemy with spiked segments